New community led designs for green spaces on Sayes Court Estate

National Trust, Lewisham Council and partners have held a celebratory event recognising the role of residents and community partners in the development of designs for three revitalised greenspaces on the Sayes Court Estate in Deptford.

The event included an exhibition showcasing works that have been produced through a series of creative engagement workshops with local partners such as Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network, Youth First and the Horniman Museum and Gardens.

The participatory design process is part of the Sayes Court Garden Network project which has been working alongside the community to improve some of the estate’s green spaces for the benefit of people and the natural environment. Over the past 18 months, a series of engagement events have been held with local partners to understand people’s aspirations for their local green spaces. nimtim architects have been commissioned by the National Trust, Lewisham Council and a number of community partners to co-create the designs based on feedback from the community, which has also included public design events.

The celebration event. held at the Horniman Museum and Gardens was an opportunity for participants and partners to come together to view the designs for green spaces on the estate and enjoy the creative work produced as part of the co-design process, including songs, models and artworks.

This project is part of the wider ‘Greening Evelyn’ vision to create Lewisham’s first Garden Ward for the benefit of local people, nature and the environment. This phase of the project has been funded by the Mayor of London’s ‘Green and Resilient Spaces Fund’ and Lewisham Council’s Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy.

Cllr Louise Krupski, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate at Lewisham Council said: “This is such an exciting project for Evelyn ward, working with our partners and residents to open up our green spaces and increase their use. Helping people connect with nature is so important for people’s health and wellbeing. I’d like to thank our partners and all those who have been involved in shaping the designs. It’s been inspiring to see the range of different ways people have been engaged in the project and it’s a real testament to how much it’s valued by local people.”

Amy Rogers, National Trust Project Manager said: "It has been a joy working with so many local organisations such as Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network, Youth First , the Vietnamese Family Partnership and the Horniman Museum and Gardens to offer engaging workshops where residents can share their ideas for the revitalised green spaces.? This event has been a lovely opportunity to bring all the creative works together and celebrate all that has been achieved on the project so far. Our next steps are to work with others to secure funding so we can implement the new designs."??

Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, Mete Coban MBE said: "Every Londoner deserves to be able to enjoy nature in their community and feel the wellbeing benefits. The Mayor was proud to support Greening Evelyn to improve Lewisham’s green spaces and play areas through his Green and Resilient Space Fund, which is helping transform and future proof communities against the harmful impacts of climate change and make the city greener and fairer for all."

Nimi Attanayake, nimtim architects Director and Cofounder said:?"We have loved getting to know the residents of Sayes Court estate as well as working with local groups such as LRMN and Youth First. We have varied the ways that people can give feedback from large consultation sessions open to all, to smaller more intimate workshops with specific groups who might otherwise be overlooked, to capture both loud and quiet voices. Thank you to all those that attended our events and workshops and we hope that you see your ideas and thoughts reflected in our designs. We hope our proposals will create accessible, climate resilient and biodiverse green spaces that understand and reflect the ambitions and thoughts of the local Sayes Court community."

Find out more about the National Trust Sayes Court project.